Presidents medical cover saved from shame by a boy scout

This is not a joke!!
[scroll down to read the update]

Dr Junaid, an ophthalmologist (a doctor specialized in the treatment of the diseases of the eye), is the current medical doctor accompanying the president of the Maldives on all domestic travel. His experiences and ability in managing any medical condition outside of his professional specialty is arguably limited. Accompanying the president of a country as the chief medical officer with the main responsibility of attending to medical emergencies facing the president and his entourage is not a simple task. We, and indeed any reader who comes to know of this, are shocked that this is the kind of medical cover the head of the state is provided and accepted by him and his advisers.

The Maldivian medical community and the presidents' advisers have been saved from utter humiliation by a brave boy scout. Had the president suffered any significant injury, Dr Junaid would have had no experience what-so-ever in ensuring adequate and safe medical care for him.

We contacted medical doctors who have worked with Dr Junaid at IGMH, including physicians who wished to remain anonymous. We asked them their views on the professional capabilities of Dr Junaid in attending to medical emergencies. All three doctors, senior specialists themselves, had no doubt in their minds that he would have been totally incapable of carrying out the required medical treatments.

We tried to get the opinion of the Maldivian Medical Association on the issue of having an eye specialist working as the sole medical doctor as the medical cover for the president. Their hot-line was unattended and we were unable to get their opinion. We have left multiple messages on their answering machine asking for a response by 8pm tonight, before we make the publication. We even contacted some of the Governing body members over the phone; none would continue the conversation from the point the question is raised! One brave soul said that he was sure that we, MMW, would make a good judgment ourselves.

The Maldivian medical community has many local physicians who would, for obvious reasons, be better trained and experienced to be picked as medical cover for our head of state. Dr Ahmed Razee, Dr Abdul Azeez Yoosuf, Dr Ibrahim Yasir, Dr Abdul Hameed, Dr Ali Latheef, Dr Fathmath Nadhiya, Dr Ibrahim Shiham and Dr Ali Nazeem are internal medicine physicians who are trained and experienced in managing emergencies in the adult population. They are all working at IGMH and are actively involved in managing emergencies and adult medical conditions. It is a shame that the presidents' chief medical adviser Dr Firdous has put the presidents life in harms way by selecting the wrong doctor to be his emergency physician.


Update
[22nd Jan 2008]

Some parts of the media have reported on the issues addressed in the above post but have not presented the facts. We would like to provide additional information and updates to ensure clarity.

Dr Junaid had been accompanying the president for the past 1 year or so. This trip was not the first one. Members of the presidential entourage are very much aware of the limitations in Dr Junaids professional capacity to handle potential emergencies. The president himself, was reportedly aware of the fact that Dr Junaid was an eye specialist.

Dr Junaid was reportedly selected for this post by Dr Mohamed Firdous, the presidents Chief Medical Advisor. All senior level health official were aware of the potential for disaster this appointment had created. Dr Firdous himself is the Chief Medical Cover for presidents' overseas travel.

We can confirm that Dr Junaid has now been removed from Presidential medical protocol. We have also been informed by IGMH and MoH insiders that the issue has been discussed in at least two high level meetings one each at the ministry and IGMH.

Members of the IGMH "special function medical cover team" who usually provide medical cover for government functions such as the July 26th and November 11th official receptions have been asked by IGMH to be available for future trips that the president is expected to undertake. The team includes a Physician, two medical officers and a senior nurse.

What will the new year bring?

The year ending tonight has been one which has brought much suffering to many of us, not just because of illness, but a lot because of the great many inadequacies in our health system. The cost of human loss cannot be quoted in currency, but the cost of poor health, illnesses and neglect of a system would be beyond comprehension.

Minister Ilyas has failed to deliver an improvement to the health system worth anything more than a few name boards labeled "Health Center" or "Atoll Hospital". His team at the Ministry has managed to hold back the health care standard of the country at the same place as was at a decade earlier. The medical people with him, Dr Abdula Azeez Yousuf, Dr Sheena and Dr Ahmed Razee have done little more than draw 3-4 salaries per month!!!

The truly sick in the islands, die at the hands of either incompetent health care providers or a competent provider rendered incompetent by an inadequate health care infrastructure. We are witness to the desperate cries of those who have been left to tend for themselves, we are among them ourselves.

Our premier health institution, IGMH, has won not our hearts, but our anger and hatred for its display of contempt with our needs and wishes. It is little wonder that IGMH has had within its premises mob violence disrupt its services and physical assault cause injuries to staff. The failings of the administration and the inability of it high ranked officials to discharge their responsibilities were at least partly responsible for these events. Deaths, medical negligence, maltreatment and all sorts of medical errors at the institution have made their ways to the news headlines. It speaks volumes about the intentions of the management of the hospital when 2 doctors were suspended for voicing concerns about malpractices happening within the Hospital. Dr Mohamed Solih, Dr Fathmath Ali Didi, Dr Yasir and Ali Mohamed (Alibe') are responsible for the sickening state of affair at IGMH.

Can we expect anything different in the new year? Realistically the chances of that are very little. The system headed by the same individuals from the very top to the middle management level are corrupt, incompetent, selfish and untrustworthy.

One thing will be different though! We will be less tolerant of their criminal handling of our welfare in the coming year. We pledge that we will do all that we can to make sure that we hold them accountable to the people of this country. We have all suffered enough. We deserve better. We demand better.